Divisible carrying case



Sept. g, 1967 EmQKSQN 3,343,7Q5

DIVISIBLE CARRYING CASE Filed Feb. 18, 1966 5 Sheets-Sheet 1 7 ATTORNEYSP 6, 1967 G. ERICKSON 3,343,705

DIVISIBLE CARRYING CASE Filed Feb. 18, 1966 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR.GERALD ERICKSON ATTORNEYS p 6, 1967 G. ERICKSON I 3,343,705

DIVISIBLE CARRYING CASE v Filed Feb. 18, 1966 3 Sheets-$heet 5 INVENTOR.GERALD ERICKSON United States Patent 3,343,705 DIVISIBLE CARRYING CASEGerald Erickson, 69 Brand Ave, Huntington, N.Y. 11743 Filed Feb. 18,1966, Ser. No. 534,943 Claims. (Cl. 220-23.4)

ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE The invention describes a compositioncarrying case comprised of a plurality of individual cases. Theindividual cases are interlocked by the engagement of complimentarytongue and groove formations which extend along a horizontal path fromthe side walls of each case.

This application is a continuation-in-part of the now abandonedapplication of Gerald Erickson, Ser. No. 429,990, filed Feb. 3, 1965.

The invention describes a composite carrying case case made up of aplurality of interlocked but separable individual carrying cases whichpermits a dealer in large volume to utilize the composite carrying caseand the customer to receive and carry home the smaller separatedsectional carrying case. The invention also relates to a novel sectionalcarrying case capable of being interlocked with other similar carryingcases to make up a larger composite carrying case.

In the conventional carrying cases used for transporting and handlingbottled beverages, the carrying cases frequently have provision fortwelve quart sized bottles or twenty-four smaller sized bottles.Ordinarily the customer will want to purchase only a fraction of theentire case. The sectional carrying cases of the present invention areprovided with interlocking means which runs along the exterior of atleast one side wall of the carrying case so as to be slidably engageablewith complementary mating interlocking means formed on another wall,such as the wall of another similar carrying case, to permit the twocases to be detachably locked together side-by-side to form thecomposite carrying case. Two or more such sectional cases can be lockedtogether to form the single composite carrying case, and the sections ofthe composite carrying case can be separated and handled separately ifit is convenient to handle them separately.

An ancillary feature of the invention is the provision of locking meansto resist the accidental sliding disengagement of the sectional casesmaking up the composite cases.

For an understanding of the present invention, reference should be madeto the detailed description which follows and to the accompanyingdrawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a plan view of a series of interlocked carrying casesconstructed according to this invention shown moving on a conveyor withtwo of the cases being detached from the others by sliding movementrelative to the others;

FIG. 2 is a side elevational view of the carrying cases shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of a pair of interlockedcases with the handle of one of the cases shown in recessed inoperativeposition in solid lines and in raised operative position in phantomlines;

FIG. 4 is an enlarged fragmentary plan view of one of the cases shown inFIG. 3;

FIG. 5 is a sectional elevational view taken substantially along line 55of FIG. 4;

FIG. 6 is a plan view of a pair of interlocked carrying cases in analternate embodiment of the instant inventron;

FIG. 7 is an enlarged sectional elevational View of the carrying casesshown in FIG. 6;

FIG. 8 is an enlarged elevational view taken along line 88 of FIG. 7;

FIG. 9 is a plan view of a plurality of cases in another embodiment ofthis invention;

FIG. 10 is a perspective view of a pair of individual attachablecarrying cases in still another embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 11 is an elevational view, partly in section, of the cases shown inFIG. 10 in interlocked condition; and

FIG. 12 is a cross-sectional view along the line 12-12 of FIG. 10 whenthe carrying cases shownin FIG. 10 are locked together.

Referring to the embodiment shown in FIGS. 1 through 5 of the drawings,the novel sectional carrying cases 10 of the present invention are shownin a form for use in handling bottles, such as soft drink bottles. It isto be understood, however, that this is merely for illustrative purposesand that the invention is applicable to other types of carrying cases.It is also to be understood that the carrying cases 10 can be made ofwood, metal or plastic, preferably of a tough, durable, inexpensive andresilient plastic molded in one piece.

The sectional carrying cases 10 in the particular embodiment shown havea plurality of openings 11 in the top thereof to accommodate twelve suchbottles, although any number may be incorporated for a specific purposeand for a specific design. Each carrying case 10 has slid ably engaginginterlocking means formed on the upstanding side walls thereof,specifically tongues 12 and grooves 14 spaced alternately on each ofopposite side walls thereof. For example, one side wall of the case 10will have a tongue 12 at a given location while the opposite side Wallof the case at a corresponding location will have a groove 14. Aplurality of sectional carrying cases 10 will all be constructed alikeso that the tongues and grooves on a side wall of one case will mate andinterlock with complementary tongues and grooves of the opposite sidewall of an adjacent case. A pair of sectional carrying cases can beeasily interlocked by engaging the ends of the grooves and tongues onone side wall of one case with the opposite ends of complementarygrooves and tongues on the opposite side wall of another case and thensliding them relatively, in this case in opposite fore-and-aftdirections, until the two cases are in side-'by-side relationship. Witha construction such as described above, any number of cases may beinterlocked to form a continuous chain of such cases.

The tongues 12 and grooves 14 may extend in foreand-aft directionsentirely across the upstanding side walls of a sectional carrying case10, or the corners of the cases 10 can be somewhat rounded or cut away,as indicated by the phantom lines A in FIG. 1 of the drawings, toshorten the interlocking tongues and grooves and facilitate interlockingthem with complementary tongues and grooves of an adjacent sectionalcarrying case. If the grooves are widened at one end and the tonguesshortened, i.e., reversely tapering the tongues and grooves as shown inthe embodiment of FIGURES 10 through 12, it will facilitate lockingtogether sectional cases to produce a composite case. Thus, sectionalcases 10 do not have to be as precisely positioned relative to eachother before interlocking them together,

If a composite carrying case of the desired size can If it is moreconvenient in a shipment to handle twentyfour bottle cases, a pair areinterlocked and the composite case is handled as a unit. If the customerwants but twelve bottles, the divisible composite can be separated.

In FIGS. 1 and 2 there is shown a plurality of sectional cases fed on aconveyor, as in a bottle filling assembly line. In such assembly lines,problems may be encountered when utilizing conventional separate cases,particularly when automatic machinery is used to place the bottles inthe cases. If the cases are shifted out of their proper orientation, theopenings 11 will not be in proper position to receive the bottles fed bythe automatic machinery. However, this will not happen if the cases areinterlocked in a long line as shown in FIG- URE 1.

When the cases 10 are returned from service, they are usually cleaned.Either prior to or after the cleaning operation, they may be lockedtogether either manually or automatically at the receiving end of theconveyor. At the discharge end of the conveyor, the cases can beseparated individually or in composite groups by the operation of areciprocating piston 15 which moves the case or cases to be separatedlaterally from the line of interlocked cases. Thus, an important featureof this invention is the ease with which one or more sectional carryingcases 10 can be removed from other like cases 10 either automatically ormanually. Disassembly of the sectional cases is accomplished as easilyas is assembly thereof.

In order to permit the individual cases of a composite case to behandled without relative lateral movement between the cases, provisionis made for preventing such relative movement. Toward this end,projections or protuberances are provided on one or more of the tongues12 and complementary mating recesses 21 are provided in one or more ofthe grooves 14, Thus, when the cases 10 are locked togetherside-by-side, the projections 20 will engage the appropriate recesses 21and help prevent the cases from shifting relative to each other. Otherreleasable locking means, e.g., removable pins which pass throughportions of adjacent sectional carrying cases, can be used in lieu ofthe interengaging protuberances and recesses.

It is usual to provide one or more openings in the side walls ofconventional carrying cases to facilitate manual handling thereof. Suchside wall openings may, if desired, be provided herein as shown at 24.In the embodiment shown in FIGURES 1 through 5, the cases It are alsoprovided with a liftable handle 26 which is normally recessed below thetop of the carrying case. As shown in FIGURE 3, an opening 25 isprovided centrally in each of the cases 10 to accommodate the handle 26.When the handle 26 is not being used, it will fall by gravity to itsrecessed position below the top surface of the case 10. When the handle26 is lifted, the flanges 26a and 26b of the handle 26 prevent itsremoval from the opening 25. The handle 26 permits the individual caseto be carried by one hand. When two of the cases are locked together,the composite case has at least two handles to facilitate the handlingof the composite case. When the handle 26 is in its recessed orinoperative position, as shown in solid lines in FIGURE 3, it will notinterfere with the stacking of the cases 10.

In the embodiment of the carrying case shown in FIGURES 6 and 7, theindividual cases 100 having bottle-receiving openings 111 therein areprovided with rounded tongues 112 and complementary grooves 114. Thetongues 112 and the grooves 114 serve to permit the cases to be lockedtogether in the same fashion as the carrying cases which embody thetongues 12 and grooves 14 described in the previous embodiment. A handleconstruction 126 is provided within the central opening 125 of thisembodiment. The handle 126 is pivotally attached to the case 100 by apin 130. When the handle 126 is not being utilized, the heavier end 126afalls by gravity to its downward position, as shown in phantom lines inFIG. 7. When in that position the entire handle is below the top of thecase 100 and will not interefere with the stacking thereof. However,when desired, the carrying handle 126 may be rotated to its operativeposition by raising the handle end 126a until the opposite end 1261')engages a stop 131. When in that position, the case 130 can be carriedmerely by grasping the handle end 126a.

The handles 126 of the adjacent cases 101] are shown in FIGURE 7extending in opposite directions for ease in handling a pair ofinterlocked individual cases.

In the embodiment of the carrying case shown in FIG. 9, the cases 204are provided with interlocking means on all four side walls, permittingthe cases to be locked in both rows and columns. The cases can also bemade with interlocking means on their top and/or bottonr surfaces sothat they may be locked in a vertical plane.

In the embodiment of the carrying case shown in FIG- URES 10 through 12,the carrying cases 301} are provided with tongues 312 and grooves 314alternately spaced on the side walls of the carrying case. The tongues312 and grooves 314 taper from one end of the carrying case toward theother, but the tongues taper toward one end and the grooves taper towardthe opposite end. The tapered end of at least one groove 314 on eachside wall of the carrying case terminates short of the end of the case,and the end of the groove is defined by a tapered raised formation orrib 315 followed by a recess 316. The tapered end of the tongue 312which enters this groove also terminates short of the end of the caseand is preceded by a protuberance 317. The individual carrying cases arelocked together by placing the tongues of one case into the grooves ofthe other and moving the cases so that the tapered ends of the tonguestravel toward the tapered ends of the grooves. Ultimately, theprotuberance 317 will engage the rib 315 at the end of the groove. Theprotuberance is then forced over the beveled rib 315 and into the recess316 to lock the cases together in the desired side-by-side relationship.

The carrying cases can be made of any material, but they are preferablymolded in one piece of a durable, tough, inexpensive and resilientplastic material, such as high density polyethylene. The resiliency ofsuch material will make it possible for the protuberances 317 to beeasily forced into the recesses 316 so that the individual cases can beeasily locked together to make a composite carrying case and theindividual cases of the composite case readily separated.

The sectional carrying case of the present invention can be locked to awall or display case having the appropriate interlocking means or toanother sectional carrying case to form a composite carrying case.

The invention has been shown in preferred forms and by way of exampleonly, and various modifications can be made therein within the spirit ofthe invention. The invention, therefore, is not to be limited to anyspecific form or embodiment except as expressly set forth in theappended claims.

I claim:

1. A sectional carrying case which can be moved horizontally from onesupport to another at substantially the same level into interlockingrelationship with another sectional carrying case to make up a compositecarrying case, said sectional carrying case comprising a base,upstanding side walls cooperating with the base to define an interiorchamber, alternately spaced tongue and groove formations extendinghorizontally at least part way across the exterior of at least one ofthe side walls, the tongue and groove formations extending horizontallyfrom the exterior and being slidably engageable endwise withcomplementary mating tongue and groove formations carried by anotherwall to permit the carrying case to be detachably connected to the otherwall, and means carried on said side Wall cooperating with complementarymeans of another sectional carrying case for limiting the horizontalmovement of the sectional carrying case with said other sectionalcarrying case and releasably locking the two in proper side-by-siderelation.

2. A sectional carrying case as set forth in claim 1 including at leastone vertically movable handle liftable from a recessed inoperativeposition to a raised operative position, and recessed means within thecase for accommodating the handle for movement between raised andrecessed positions.

3. A sectional carrying case which can be moved horizontally from onesupport to another at substantially the same level into interlockingrelationship with another sectional carrying case to make up a compositecarrying case, said sectional carrying case comprising a base,upstanding walls cooperating with the base to define an interiorchamber, spaced apart tongue and groove formations extendingsubstantially horizontally at least partway across the exterior of atleast one of the said walls, the tongue being tapered toward one end andthe groove toward the opposite end to facilitate the endwise insertionof the narrow end of the tongue into the wide end of the groove ofanother sectional case and the insertion of the narrow end of the tongueof the other sectional carrying case into the wide end of said groove,and means carried on said side wall cooperating with complementary meansof another sectional carrying case for limiting the horizontal movementof the sectional carrying case with another sectional carrying case andreleasably locking the two in proper side-by-side relation.

4. A sectional carrying case as set forth in claim 3 in which saidlimiting and releasably locking means includes means defining a recessand protruding means having a curved leading and trailing surface forfacilitating forced entry into and forced removal from the recess, onesuch limiting and releasably locking means being located at the narrowend of the groove and the other at the narrow end of the tongue.

5. A sectional carrying case as set forth in claim 3 interlocked withanother sectional carrying case to form a composite carrying case, saidother sectional carrying case comprising a base, upstanding wallscooperating with the base to define an interior chamber, spaced aparttongue and groove formations extending substantially horizontally atleast partway across the exterior of at least one of said walls with thespaced tongue and groove formations of one section-a1 carrying casebeing arranged complementary to the other so that when they aresupported at the same level the tongue of one interlocks with the grooveof the other, and complementary limiting and locking means cooperatingwith the aforesaid limiting and locking means.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,723,484 11/ 1955 Nelson.

2,732,969 1/ 1956 Browne 220-234 2,826,332 3/1958 Hudson 220104 X3,131,829 5/1964 M-asser 22023.4 X 3,194,426 7/ 1965 Brown 220-234FOREIGN PATENTS 1,175,144 7/ 1964 Germany.

881,963 11/1961 Great Britain.

THERON E. CONDON, Primary Examiner. GEORGE E. LOWRANCE, Examiner.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE CERTIFICATE OF CORRECTION Patent No.3,343,705 September 26, 1967 Gerald Erickson It is hereby certified thaterror appears in the above numbered patent requiring correction and thatthe said Letters Patent should read as corrected below.

Column 1, line 10, for "composition" read H composite line 21, for "Theinvention describes a" read This same column 1, line 22,

invention relates to a divisible strike out "case".

Signed and sealed this 15th day of October 1968.

(SEAL) Attest:

EDWARD J. BRENNER Edward M. Fletcher, Jr.

Commissioner of Patents Attesting Officer

1. A SECTIONAL CARRYING CASE WHICH CAN BE MOVED HORIZONTALLY FROM ONESUPPORT TO ANOTHER AT SUBSTANTIALLY THE SAME LEVEL INTO INTERLOCKINGRELATIONSHIP WITH ANOTHER SECTIONAL CARRYING CASE TO MAKE UP A COMPOSITECARRYING CASE, SAID SECTIONAL CARRYING CASE COMPRISING A BASE,UPSTANDING SIDE WALLS COOPERATING WITH THE BASE TO DEFINE AN INTERIORCHAMBER, ALTERNATELY SPACED TONGUE AND GROOVE FORMATIONS EXTENDINGHORIZONTALLY AT LEAST PART WAY ACROSS THE EXTERIOR OF AT LEAST ONE OFTHE SIDE WALLS, THE TONGUE AND GROOVE FORMATIONS EXTENDING HORIZONTALLYFROM THE EXTERIOR AND BEING SLIDABLY ENGAGEABLE ENDWISE WITHCOMPLEMENTARY MATING TONGUE AND GROOVE FORMATIONS CARRIED BY ANOTHERWALL TO PERMIT THE CARRYING CASE TO BE DETACHABLY CONNECTED TO THE OTHERWALL, AND MEANS CARRIED ON SAID SIDE WALL COOPERATING WITH COMPLEMENTARYMEANS OF ANOTHER SECTIONAL CARRYING CASE FOR LIMITING THE HORIZONTALMOVEMENT OF THE SECTIONAL CARRYING CASE WITH SAID OTHER SECTIONALCARRYING CASE AND RELEASABLY LOCKING THE TWO IN PROPER SIDE-BY-SIDERELATION,